WORKING WITH FONTS AND FONT EMBEDDING

Many types of fonts are currently available in various qualities. Photoshop, like most high-end computer programs, works best with high-quality fonts. Although you can get good results with inexpensive and free fonts, they are often troublesome. TrueType and Type 1 fonts are the most common high-quality fonts available, with more and more OpenType fonts reaching the marketplace. (Adobe has discontinued support for multiple master fonts.)

Although Photoshop can use multiple master fonts, it cannot take advantage of the special characteristics of these fonts. Unlike Illustrator, Photoshop has no provisions for customizing the appearance of multiple master fonts.

Fonts (also called typefaces) classified as TrueType, Type 1, multiple master, and OpenType typically perform flawlessly with Photoshop. (Any font, however, is subject to corruption over time and might need to be reinstalled.) Bitmap fonts should not be used with Photoshop.

Fonts and Font Families

Many fonts come in both Macintosh and Windows versions. Make sure you install the appropriate font. OpenType fonts can use the same font file on either platform.

Technically, a certain typeface at a certain size in a certain style constitutes a font. More generally, we tend to use the term to refer to an entire family of fonts. For example, Times 12 pt is different from Times 24 pt and Times (Italic) or Times (Bold). Each was designed to serve a separate purpose. Colloquially, we refer to all the Times typefaces as a single font. Technically, Times is a font family, with numerous individual fonts.

When does terminology make a difference? Primarily, the subject comes up in marketing. Such-and-such a laser printer may have 52 fonts installed, and a competitor might claim more than 250 fonts. One font package could include more than 1,000 fonts, and another might have 85 font families. As long as you are aware of the difference in terminology, you can make informed decisions.